One of the questions that emerged in the wake of the trades that went down on Monday evening circled back to the Los Angeles Lakers and, essentially, boiled down to this: Why was L.A. sitting on its hands? The answer seems to be that they weren’t. They’re just chasing some higher aspirations at the moment.
The Lakers, of course, were never really in on the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, the one that sent the prominent Greek to Miami. But there was a deal that seemed much better suited to the Lakers’ purposes–the one that sent Julius Randle from Minnesota to Brooklyn, with center Nic Claxton going to the Bulls for, essentially, cap space.
Claxton is a center. The Lakers need a center. The Wolves needed cap relief. The Lakers can offer cap relief. So, why was Claxton–who averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds last season–routed to Chicago and not to the Lakers?
The answer, as one Western Conference exec said: “They have higher aims than Nic Claxton, at least at this point.”
Nic Claxton Not What Lakers Are Looking For
That’s nothing against Nic Claxton, of course, and it does remain possible that Bulls could flip Claxton for assets down the line, and, hey, maybe the Lakers decide at that point they’re in on Claxton. But the goal now, with the Lakers sitting on the most cap space in the NBA, is to use that space to bring a distinct upgrade to the center spot.
The Lakers had Deandre Ayton at center last year, and he has an option (worth a little more than $8 million) that could keep him in L.A. next season. Claxton is not a distinct upgrade over Ayton, and the Lakers would not want to be in a position in which they have two mediocre centers, neither of which really does anything unique or different.
Nic Claxton ‘Serviceable’
Claxton was, at one point early in his career, a promising young big man who seemed to have a high ceiling. But more recently, his ceiling seems to have been hit, and he has been the same too-thin big man who can’t shoot outside the paint and isn’t a great rebounder for a guy who stands 6-foot-11. Worse, his defense has backslid in recent years. That could be a product of playing for a bad Nets team, but it did kneecap Claxton’s value around the NBA and left the Lakers uninterested.
“He is a serviceable starter, but teams don’t want serviceable at that spot,” the exec said. “You need to be able to do something special, whether it is blocking shots or you’re switchable at four positions, or you make 40% or whatever of your 3s. No one wants an, ‘OK across the board’ type. If you’re not Wemby, you need to be the 3-point shooter or the shot-blocker or the lob threat, and we can mix and match what we have on the roster.”
Lakers Seeking Top Options at Center
And again, for the Lakers and what they are hoping to accomplish this offseason, Claxton was far too much a serviceable type rather than someone who can do something special that can be matched alongside Ayton, or in a different combination if Ayton leaves.
The Lakers have other targets in mind, including a trade for the likes of Daniel Gafford from the Mavericks or Myles Turner from Milwaukee, along with free-agent possibilities like a longshot bid for Walker Kessler or a more realistic play for Robert Williams.
Maybe Claxton will be adequate with a change of scenery in Chicago. But the Lakers are hoping for more than adequate.
Lakers Passed on Trade for Starting Center Because of ‘Higher Aims’